Gospel of Thomas Sayings 28 to 42: On Truth, Blindness, and Becoming the Lamp

There’s a strange warmth in returning to this final stretch of the Gospel of Thomas. These sayings, like smoke from an ancient fire, still rise with a fierce fragrance of truth.

We’re not here to decode this with dogma. We’re here to wrestle, breathe, laugh, and maybe burn a little in the process. Each of these sayings—whether poetic, harsh, or cryptic—offers a mirror to what’s alive (or dead) inside us.

This is the final lap in our journey through the Gospel of Thomas, from Saying 28 through 42. A deep bow to all of you who’ve made it this far.

(28)

Jesus says:

(1) “I stood in the middle of the world, and in flesh I appeared to them.

(2) I found all of them drunk. None of them did I find thirsty.

(3) And my soul ached for the children of humanity, because they are blind in their heart, and they cannot see; for they came into the world empty, (and) they also seek to depart from the world empty.

(4) But now they are drunk. (But) when they shake off their wine, then they will change their mind.”

Stephen James’s Reflection:

We’re all born into this matrix half-asleep, slurring our way through systems built on lies. Jesus isn’t talking about literal wine here. He’s pointing to intoxication with illusion—propaganda, social conditioning, celebrity worship, etc.

We came into this world with potential, with light, but we got drunk on distractions. And yet—he holds hope. When we shake off the wine, we remember. That’s what this work is about.

(29)

Jesus says:

“If the flesh came into being because of the spirit, it is a wonder.

But if the spirit came into being because of the body, it is a wonder of wonders.

Yet I marvel at how this great wealth has taken up residence in this poverty.”

Stephen James’s Reflection:

This is the wild mystery of embodiment. That something so divine… spirit, soul, the I AM… has chosen to be here in flesh. Here in this chaotic Earth school. That’s a miracle. And not some cute, fluffy one. A marvel of marvels, as he puts it.

We are sacred technology living in biological poverty. But some of us… by grace, by inner work, by refusing the bullshit… have remembered.

(30)

Jesus says:

“Where there are three gods, they are gods.

Where there are two or one, I am with him.”

Stephen James’s Reflection:

Christ is not looking for crowds. He’s in the intimate. The mystical. The one-on-one. Wherever two or more unite in truth, that’s where the divine shows up. The deeper layers of this can be felt in the double trinity—inner masculine, feminine, child—alongside soul, I AM, and the Great I AM.

(31)

Jesus says:

“No prophet is accepted in his (own) village.

A physician does not heal those who know him.”

Stephen James’s Reflection:

Classic. Speak truth to your family or hometown and watch the pitchforks come out. Familiarity breeds resistance.

Most of the people who come to work with me didn’t grow up with me. That’s how it is for many of us. Prophets aren’t crowned at home—they’re usually crucified.

(32)

Jesus says:

“A city built upon a high mountain (and) fortified cannot fall, nor can it be hidden.”

Stephen James’s Reflection:

Truth has gravity. If you build your life around it, you’ll be like that mountain city—unshakable and visible. And no matter how hard they try, they won’t be able to hide what you’ve become.

(33)

Jesus says:

“What you will hear with your ear {with the other ear} proclaim from your rooftops.

For no one lights a lamp (and) puts it under a bushel, nor does he put it in a hidden place.

Rather, he puts it on a lampstand, so that everyone who comes in and goes out will see its light.”

Stephen James’s Reflection:

Once you’ve seen truth, real truth, you don’t hide it. You put it out there. You meme it. You podcast it. You put it in books, art, awkward conversations, and unexpected jokes. Because that lamp isn’t yours to hoard. It was always meant to shine.

(34)

Jesus says:

“If a blind (person) leads a blind (person), both will fall into a pit.”

Stephen James’s Reflection:

We just lived through that. The last few years have been a masterclass in watching the blind lead the blind—with a syringe in hand and fear on repeat.

(35)

Jesus says:

“It is not possible for someone to enter the house of a strong (person) (and) take it by force unless he binds his hands.

Then he will loot his house.”

Stephen James’s Reflection:

You want to dismantle darkness? You’ve got to bind the strongman first—cut off his power source. You do that with truth. You do that with the sword of spirit, not a keyboard war.

(36)

Jesus says:

“Do not worry from morning to evening and from evening to morning about what you will wear.”

Stephen James’s Reflection:

Let the algorithms stress about what to wear. You, dear listener, just need to clothe yourself in truth. That’s what fits.

(37)

Jesus says:

“When you undress without being ashamed and take your clothes (and) put them under your feet like little children (and) trample on them,

then [you] will see the son of the Living One, and you will not be afraid.”

Stephen James’s Reflection:

This one’s about stripping off illusion. Ego. Conditioning. Not about nudity… but nakedness of soul. When you can trample the old identities like a child playing in the dirt, that’s when the divine becomes visible.

(38)

Jesus says:

“Many times have you desired to hear these words, these that I am speaking to you, and you have no one else from whom to hear them.

There will be days when you will seek me (and) you will not find me.”

Stephen James’s Reflection:

There’s a cost to waiting too long to wake up. Truth has timing. And if you delay it too long, you may find the voices have gone quiet. Or worse, you’ll no longer hear them.

(39)

Jesus says:

“The Pharisees and the scribes have received the keys of knowledge, (but) they have hidden them.

Neither have they entered, nor have they allowed to enter those who wish to.

You, however, be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves!”

Stephen James’s Reflection:

The gatekeepers of religion hoarded the sacred maps and turned the divine into a bureaucracy. But Jesus flips the script: get wise like serpents, but stay innocent like a child. It’s the only way to navigate this mad world.

(40)

Jesus says:

“A grapevine was planted outside (the vineyard) of the Father.

And since it is not supported, it will be pulled up by its roots (and) will perish.”

Stephen James’s Reflection:

Anything not rooted in truth will die. No matter how shiny, successful, or seductive. If it isn’t planted in the divine, it will rot. End of story.

(41)

Jesus says:

“Whoever has (something) in his hand, (something more) will be given to him.

And whoever has nothing, even the little he has will be taken from him.”

Stephen James’s Reflection:

That “something” is inner alignment, a commitment to truth. If you’ve got even a little of that, more will come. But if you’ve got nothing… no desire, no spark… then even your illusions will collapse.

(42)

Jesus says:

“Become passers-by.”

Stephen James’s Reflection:

Don’t get stuck. Don’t grip. Don’t identify so hard with this world that you forget your origin. Be in it, but pass through it. Not with detachment, but with perspective.

Final Thoughts

There’s a raw beauty to these sayings—a fierce call to truth and an uncomfortable look at the mess we’re waking up from. These aren’t quaint spiritual affirmations to hang on your kitchen wall. They’re a fire. A mirror. A sword. They don’t stroke your ego—they slice through it.

Each verse invites you to take an unfiltered look at your own soul. Not the curated persona. Not the spiritual mask. The real thing. Are you drunk on the wine of this world’s lies? Are you still following blind guides? Are you building your city on a high mountain—or are you hiding your light under the desk, hoping no one sees how bright you really are?

Jesus wasn’t offering cosy comfort. He was offering divine disruption. And the invitation still stands: strip it all back. Let go of the layers you’ve worn to survive. Be like a child again—not naïve, but playful, curious, unashamed.

What’s true doesn’t need to be defended. It simply needs to be embodied. And when you do that, you become the lamp. You become the grapevine rooted in the Father’s vineyard. You become the one who doesn’t need to scream to be heard—because your presence carries the weight of something real.

So let the Pharisees play with their keys. Let the world get drunk on whatever the algorithm is serving today. You? You walk through this place like a passer-by, grounded in something eternal. Not distracted. Not asleep. Just deeply, radically here.

The kingdom is not coming. It’s already here.

But it starts with you.